Locavores have another corner store to call their own with the opening of Union Kitchen Grocery in Shaw. It’s the second market from the Union Kitchen team whose goal is to highlight 200 locally made products. Many of them are produced in the food incubator’s commercial kitchen spaces in NoMa and Ivy City.
There are staples too like cereal, produce, booze, and frozen food, but look for the “Made in D.C.” stickers signifying which products were made nearby. The corner store located at 1251 9th St. NW is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and weekends from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The following nine products are some of our favorites:
The Sweet Farm Sauerkraut
Add some funk to your favorite foods and introduce healthy bacteria to your belly with sauerkraut from the husband and wife team of Rachel Armistead and Luke Flessner. The Sweet Farm flavors include Classic Kraut, Beet Kraut, Curry Kraut, Chesapeake Kraut, and Curtido. Try them on sandwiches, with eggs for breakfast, in salads, in grilled cheeses, and more.
Milk Cult Ice Cream Sandwiches
Buds Ed Cornell and Patrick Griffith are obsessed with all things dairy and don’t take themselves too seriously. Sure, they make some bonkers flavors, but there’s nothing wrong with Milk Cult‘s vanilla ice cream chocolate chip cookie original that tastes like what Chipwich aspires to be.
‘Chups Fruit-Based Ketchup
Some people really hate ketchup. Maybe they should try ‘Chups from married couple Matt and Kori Wallace. Instead of relying on the lowly tomato, they utilize other fruits to create sweet and tangy fruit ketchups in flavors like mango, spicy pineapple, plum, and pumpkin. Once grill season hits, these are good to have on hand.
Mason Dixie Biscuit Co. Biscuits
If you have a freezer and an oven, you can wake and bake some of the city’s best biscuits in 30 minutes. It’s like having Chef Jason Gehring right in your home judging your pajama set. Just pick up a pack of Mason Dixie Biscuits from the frozen section. There are two flavors: cheddar and buttermilk.
Ketchung! Sauces
Ketchung offers another opportunity to swap out basic ketchup with something a little more exciting. The Korean-inspired sauces from founder Helen Chung taste a little like gochujang and come in two flavors: signature and barbecue sauce. Try them on ribs, in salad dressings, in chili, as cocktail sauce, and as a dipper for French fries.
Gordy’s Fine Brine
Bring briny flavor into any cocktail with a can of Fine Brine from Gordy’s Pickle Jar. The pickle juice from D.C. founders Sarah Gordon and Sheila Fain can boost any Bloody Mary. Or for something next level, check out these recipes from area bartenders.
Shrub District Shrubs
Tart and tangy shrubs can idiot-proof any cocktail. Seriously, just add the fruit-, sugar-, and vinegar-based product to a glass of your spirit of choice and a little seltzer water. Someone’s bound to be impressed. Founder Don Morton‘sshrubs come in flavors like apple nutmeg, strawberry dill, cranberry juniper, and pineapple allspice.
Commonwealth Joe Coffee
Commonwealth Joe Coffee Roasters may be best known for its kegged Nitro Cold Brew Coffee, but its beans are badass too. If you can’t get to their headquarters in Pentagon City or their North Arlington location at The Java Shack, you can brew at home. Notice that the flavors are named after iconic places in Virginia. That’s because Commonwealth Joe grew out of a mother-and-son business that was based in Culpeper, Virginia.
Embitterment Bitters
Put down the Peychaud’s and dribble something local into your Old Fashioned with Embitterment Bitters from Eric Kozlik, Ethan Hall, and Russell Garing. Flavors include lavender, orange, chocolate, and aromatic. While bitters are best known for the depth they add to drinks, Embitterment Bitters suggests using them in soups, in rib marinades, and more.
Union Kitchen Grocery, 1251 9th St. NW; unionkitchendc.com/grocery